Paul Kimball, public relations manager of the inner-city mission, said the tradition is a way to reach out to the community at a time when most people are at home with loved ones.

"Most of the people that show up are street people," he said. "A lot of the things we take for granted, like big Christmas dinners with our families, they don't get."

All of the meals, which included turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, vegetables, cranberry sauce and dessert, were prepared and served by about 50 volunteers. City businesses and individuals donated the food, as well as the gifts presented to the guests when they finished eating.

Kimball estimated about 350 people were fed throughout the afternoon and said the mission had enough grub for many more.

"If it turned out there were 2,000 people, we would keep feeding them until everybody had a meal," he said. "We wouldn't close the doors until everyone was fed."

Phyllis Ark has been attending the annual dinner since she moved to Winnipeg from Nova Scotia about 10 years ago. She said it was delicious, as usual.

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